Inaugural documentary film festival announces in-competition features, special screenings & shorts
26th – 28th July 2006, Keble College, Oxford

A true portrait of the Iraq war as filmed by soldiers on the frontline (THE WAR TAPES); the modern-day life of a former concentration camp and the town in which it stands (KZ); a witty satire on the ludicrous assassination attempts on Castro (638 WAYS TO KILL CASTRO); an insight into the lives and dreams of six Indian call agents (JOHN AND JANE); the recording of a year of suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge (THE BRIDGE) – these are amongst the 20 feature-length documentaries announced today as competition contenders at BRITDOC 06 in association with Nokia, the UK’s first international feature documentary festival taking place 26th – 28th July in Oxford.

The twenty films, representing the best feature documentaries from the past year, will screen in two in-competition strands – British and International – with almost all screening in the UK for the first time. Further documentaries, including SXSW Audience Award Winner AIR GUITAR NATION and 1963 film CRISIS, the first and only film ever to capture a US president (JFK) making critical and last-minute decisions in a politically explosive situation, will be shown in special screenings, and shorts programmes will showcase the best emerging British documentary filmmaking talent.

Political investigations and revelations (HACKED, CRISIS), inspirational human stories (A LION IN THE HOUSE, KIMMIE), diverse cultures and peoples (GUCA, 37 USES FOR A DEAD SHEEP), the truth behind global industries (BLACK GOLD, WE FEED THE WORLD), family relationships (51 BIRCH STREET, MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE), the impact of historical events (KZ) and unusual extracurricular activities (BLUE BLOOD, DARKON) are amongst the topics covered in the films – the diversity of the programme reflecting the ability of documentaries to tell incredible stories of real lives, people and events.

The inaugural BRITDOC 06, which will become an annual festival, will highlight the social, political and cultural importance of documentaries, and their power to impact on individuals, organisations and societies. It also provides a platform for British documentary filmmaking talent and aims to stimulate the market for documentaries in the UK, enabling British filmmakers to make feature documentaries that have the ability to be seen by audiences worldwide.

Jurors for competition strands are also announced today, and include Colin Greenwood (musician, Radiohead), Jon Ronson (writer and director) and Robin Gutch (Managing Director, WARP X).



***FULL LIST OF FILMS BELOW***

For further information on all in-competition films please see Films Overview sheet
For further press information / interviews / images contact: Lyndsey@britdoc.org, 00 44 7989 945 066




BRITISH IN-COMPETITION
37 USES FOR A DEAD SHEEP, Dir Ben Hopkins
KZ, Dir Rex Bloomstein
BLACK GOLD, Dir Marc & Nick Francis
BLUE BLOOD, Dir Stevan Riley
HOW IS YOUR FISH TODAY?, Dir Xiaolu Guo
UNREQUITED LOVE, Dir Chris Petit
KIMMIE, Dir Hazel Chandler
638 WAYS TO KILL CASTRO, Dir Dollan Cannell
GUCA, Dir Milivoj Ilic
HACKED, (aka Votergate), Dir Simon Ardizzone


INTERNATIONAL IN-COMPETITION
51 BIRCH STREET Dir Doug Block
A LION IN THE HOUSE, Dir Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
JOHN AND JANE, Dir Ashim Ahluwalia
MYSTIC BALL, Dir Greg Hamilton
THE BRIDGE, Dir Eric Steel
WE FEED THE WORLD, Dir Erwin Wagenhofer
DARKON, Dir Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer
THE PLAY, Dir Pelin Esmer
MY GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE, Dir Adán Aliaga
THE WAR TAPES, Dir Deborah Scranton


FOURDOCS SHORT FILM PRIZE
THE DEAD LETTER DETECTIVES, Dir Laura Martin-Robinson
A MAP WITH GAPS, Dir Alice Nelson
LOST AND FOUND: JIM LEE, Dir Joseph Bull, Luke Seomore
MR AND MRS SMITH, Dir Pinny Grylls
TALK TO ME, Dir Mark Craig
CHECKPOINT, Dir Alexander Smith, Samir Guessous, Tim Stirzaker, and Joseph Oppenheimer
MASTER OF REALITY, Dir Matthew Killip
A TALE OF TWO SWIMMERS, Dir Steven Sander


SPECIAL SCREENINGS
SUNDAY DRIVER, Dir Carol Strong
AIR GUITAR NATION, Dir Alexandra Lipsitz
CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT, Exec Producer Robin Drew, filmmakers Richard Leacock, James Lipscomb, DA Pennebaker, Hope Ryden


CHANNEL 4 BRITISH DOCUMENTARY FILM FOUNDATION SCREENINGS
A Farewell Song, Dir Arthur & Luther Jones
Half Life – A Journey to Chernobyl, Dir Phil Grabsky & David Bickstaff
Sargy Mann, Dir Peter Mann
Specky, Dir Anne-Claire Pilley
The Word was God, Dir Mark Boulos

JURORS
BRITISH IN-COMPETITION: Robin Gutch: joint managing director, Warp X
Lizzie Franke: consultant, EM Media
Colin Greenwood: musician, Radiohead
Wendy Mitchell: writer, Screen International

INTERNATIONAL IN-COMPETITION: Debra Zimmerman: executive director, Women Make Movies
Jon Ronson: writer and filmmaker
Kevin Maher: writer, The Times

FOURDOCS SHORT FILM PRIZE: Katie Speight: Commissioning Editor, More4
Shannon Kelley: Documentary Film Programme, Sundance Film Fund
Matt Dentler: Programmer, SXSW


EDITOR’S NOTES
BRITDOC 06 in association with Nokia
BRITDOC 06 in association with Nokia is the UK’s first international feature documentary festival, taking place from 26th – 28th July at Keble College, Oxford. BRITDOC 06 will be the essential calendar fixture of every key player in British feature-documentary production, bringing the leading international film producers, distributors, and financiers together in the UK for the first time to meet British talent face-to-face. Further info at www.britdoc.org/festival.
Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation (BDFF)
Launched in 2005 the BDFF is a non-profit organisation supported by Channel 4. The BDFF aim is to secure a creatively ambitious and diverse future for British documentary by looking beyond television to develop, fund and distribute the work of the next generation of UK documentary filmmakers. Since its launch the BDFF has awarded grants totalling nearly half a million pounds to 20 documentary projects.
About Nokia Nseries
Nokia Nseries is a range of high performance multimedia computers that delivers unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences by combining the latest technologies with stylish design and ease of use. With Nokia Nseries products, consumers can use a single device to enjoy entertainment, access information and to capture and share pictures and videos, whenever and wherever they want.
About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations. www.nokia.com